Chapter: 168
“Whoa♡ Here you are, rolling on the floor like a dog, panting away♡ Don’t you feel a bit self-conscious?♡ Having shoddy stamina that’s worse than a girl who’s two heads shorter than you? Just doesn’t add up!♡ You’ve failed as a man before even becoming a prince!♡ Shall I just call you ‘Princess’ from now on?♡ Shoddy Pitiful Princess♡”
I tried provoking him to lift Arthur off the ground, but his body wouldn’t budge.
His arm, pressed against the ground, was shaking, meaning his body wasn’t complying with his mind.
Turning my head toward Phoebe, she shook her head.
“If you force him up any more, it’ll be too much for him.”
Hmm. Is that so? Strange. When I trained in the Allen family, I pushed myself harder than this.
Possell didn’t care about my physical limits. There were times when I passed out from exhaustion after pushing through training with him, only to wake up in bed.
Compared to that, isn’t this level nothing?
[Young Lady. As I often say, you shouldn't set your standards based on yourself.]
‘Is that so? Everyone can do at least this much, right?’
It’s not like I started out special. After turning my trashy body into something decent with cunning and getting through training, that’s all I’ve done.
Aside from that, I only rolled around to improve my weight class.
Though I built my skill like a seasoned gamer, that process was just effort after effort. And then more effort.
Even I, who fell from modern times to a fantasy world, can roll around like this, so shouldn’t Arthur, the academy’s recognized genius, be able to do even better?
He doesn’t lack a solid base like I did either.
[Let me speak from my past experience of teaching many talented knights. You are a special case.]
‘Is that so.’
I don’t know well, but since Grandpa said this much and Phoebe, an expert in healing, was saying that, it makes sense to let Arthur rest.
“Take a break for a bit, Arthur.”
“I guess I have no choice. It seems the Pitiful Prince has both shoddy stamina and pitifulness, so just rest like a bug.”
“…Lu-cy!”
Arthur’s voice rose in response to the provocation of the Mesugaki Skill, but it was far from scary.
Him complaining while shaking on the ground was just funny.
If I kept watching him, I’d involuntarily burst into laughter, so I looked elsewhere.
There wasn’t a single person unscathed.
Frey was exhausted from sparring with me, Joy was squeezing nonexistent magic to train, and Phoebe barely had any divine power left for healing Arthur; she was close to her limits.
Well, it’s been roughly 8 hours since we started training early this morning, so it’s normal for everyone to be worn out.
Personally, I’d like to move my body a bit more, but I’ve been told it’s harsh to apply my standards to others. Hmm.
“Everyone!…”
“Shoddy fellows! That’s it for today!”
As I raised my voice, all eyes turned to me.
The emotion in their gazes was definitely one of confusion.
What’s with that? I’m saying let’s take a break for your sake!
Why are you blinking instead of being happy?
Breaking the sudden silence, Frey was the first to move.
She walked over, then placed her hand on my forehead and tilted her head.
“You don’t have a fever?”
‘I’m completely fine.’
“Foolish swordsman. Do I look sick to your dumb eyes?”
“But if you’re not sick, there’s no way Lucy would suggest we take a break.”
Frey’s blunt comment made everyone nod in agreement. Even Arthur, sprawled out on the floor.
… I can see what my image is like to you guys.
Fine. If that’s what you want, no choice but to become the person you think I am.
Frey will spar with me, and Joy, drained of mana, can train her stamina with Arthur…
“Perfect timing. I actually had a place in mind that would be nice to go to together.”
As the others started begging to be spared, Joy urgently spoke up, feeling the shift in atmosphere.
“What kind of place is it, Joy?”
“A really nice bakery!”
Right after that, Phoebe chimed in.
“Wow. Dessert. Sounds delicious.”
Frey, who had quickly escaped to my side, interjected with a lifeless voice.
“Then I’ll pay for that.”
Stumbling up, Arthur concluded the conversation.
Afterward, the four of them blatantly looked to see if I was okay with it.
As if trying to suggest, “Let’s keep training here.”
No way! If you act like that, I’ll look like the bad guy!
I’m the one who first suggested taking a break!
Ugh, what’s this? Does it make me seem like a bad person to you guys?
Aren’t I the one who started this whole “Let’s take a break” conversation?!
Ugh! This is so frustrating! Am I seriously going to get dragged into this?
If they push me, it’ll be easy to squash the conversation…
Not that it’s difficult.
…but that simply won’t do.
I can enjoy sweets with key characters from Soul Academy while having student talks!
How could I refuse that opportunity when I love that game so much I’ve turned rotten?!
“Let’s go. To the bakery.”
“Foolish Young Lady. If the bread is as foolish as you, I won’t let it slide, alright?”
“Hehe. I’ll bet my family’s honor on that.”
*
The bakery Joy confidently suggested was a familiar place to me.
A place where I could meet the clumsily disguised Foolish Young Lady if I visited on a weekend at Soul Academy.
So that’s the bakery the Foolish Young Lady loves the most.
Wow. I always thought it’d be nice to come here with Joy someday, but I never expected Joy to invite me here first!
Though it’s a pity we aren’t alone, I like the lively atmosphere too.
Moreover, it’s a place I can come back to with Joy later!
While I excitedly checked out the interior, a worker brought over several breads.
Since they brought it out naturally without me ordering, could it be that these are the usual breads Joy always orders?
The first to dive into the freshly baked, steaming bread was Arthur.
That one is a croissant. You can tell just from the brown crust that it’s well made.
As Arthur bit into it, the sound of the crispy shell crumbling filled the table.
With a blank expression, he swallowed a bite and nodded lightly with a smile.
“Pretty good.”
“Pretty good, huh?”
“…I meant it’s really incredibly delicious.”
“Right?”
As the two of them bantered, I reached for the bread as well.
I chose a croissant too, just like Arthur.
Seeing Arthur eat it made it look super tasty.
What would Joy, who has encountered numerous cuisines as a Ducal Young Lady, think of the bread from the place she always says is the best?
With my heart racing, I took a big bite of the croissant and couldn’t help but open my eyes wide.
I already predicted the crunchiness of the crust.
But I didn’t expect the softness of the inside beyond it.
The bread melted in my mouth, followed by the rich flavor of butter filling it completely.
A delicate sweetness. A pleasant nutty aroma. A hint of saltiness.
Not lacking in any aspect.
Ahh. It’s confirmed. This is the best bread I’ve ever had in my life.
When I came back to my senses and opened my mouth again to take another bite, I was startled to see my hand was empty.
Huh? Why has the bread disappeared?
Wasn’t there a croissant in my hand just a moment ago?!
“Lady Allen. How is it? Did you like it?”
Were they watching me inhale that bread?
Joy was looking at me with a satisfied expression.
Ugh. It’s annoying when the Foolish Young Lady gets smug, but I can’t deny it.
‘It was super delicious!’
“Hehe. Well, for a recommendation from the Foolish Young Lady with her foolish taste, it’s not bad at all.”
“Hehe. Right?”
I expected a sharp response to the blunt reaction to the Mesugaki Skill, but Joy just smiled.
What’s this? I thought she’d say something to me like she did to Arthur.
“Why are you being lenient with Lucy Allen?”
Arthur seemed perplexed by that as well and grumbled at Joy, who just shrugged and answered proudly.
“Because watching her makes me happy, but the Third Prince does not.”
So just watching her eat brings joy. Well, I mean, if I don’t speak up, I’m like a doll.
Except that disasters happen every time I open my mouth.
Arthur also seemed unable to rebut that, grumbling as he picked up more bread.
After that, we all focused on eating the bread.
After rolling about for 8 hours since morning, we certainly had no time to waste.
With delicious taste right in front of us, how could we resist?
After we filled our combat-hungry bellies, we gradually regained our composure.
Phoebe, noticing us sipping on fragrant tea, chuckled and spoke softly.
“It seems everyone was quite worn out.”
“Holy Lady. You’ve seen us for several days, so you must know that grueling training can’t be easy.”
Seeing Arthur vent his frustrations about being unable to do anything but sleep when he enters the dormitory made Phoebe smile wryly.
“But when vacation starts in a few days, you can rest, right?”
‘No. We can’t rest.’
“What are you saying, Sloppy Saintess? If you rest during vacation, the at least already pitiful Prince will become even more pitiful.”
Arthur is supposed to become a powerful magic swordsman.
Do you think I’ll let him waste away and become an average magic swordsman?!
“What?”
“There are plans laid out even during vacation, so what I’m saying is that I can’t rest. Holy Lady.”
“That’s…”
Of course, I have my own tasks to take care of during vacation. I can’t keep an eye on Arthur continuously.
So, I’ll have to leave it to his conscience.
But I think he’ll be fine. His pride is too strong. He wouldn’t permit himself to rest aimlessly.
Besides, I have already warned him that if he’s still shoddy by the second semester, I’ll make him roll endlessly. He’ll manage decently.
Phoebe, unsure what to say to the gloomy Arthur, blinked before turning to Joy.
“Joy, what will you do during the vacation?”
“Me? I don’t have any plans. I’ll at least go back to my family, though.”
As Joy said that, she turned to look at me.
What’s up? Got something to say?
“…Maybe I’ll be balancing studying and training?”
Judging by her vague answer, it must have been my misunderstanding.
“What about Young Lady Kent?”
While chewing on bread, Frey took a long moment to respond after Phoebe asked her.
“I’ll also train.”
Then, she bluntly stated that, throwing the bread back into her mouth.
I shouldn’t be saying this, but isn’t it a bit rude for her to act so casual towards a Holy Lady? Frey.
What if she ends up with a reputation as bad as mine?
Oh. But she probably wouldn’t care about that. She always does things her way.
“What about Lady Allen?”
Phoebe’s question finally came around to me.
What will I do during vacation? I have a couple of things planned.
There are a couple of must-dos, and the rest are optional, but…
The one thing that’s definitely set is this:
“I’m going to go conquer dungeons.”
“I’m going to smash some sloppy dungeons.”
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